An overview of new and current developments in state of charge (SOC) estimating methods for battery is given where the focus lies upon mathematical principles and practical implementations. As the battery SOC is an important parameter, which reflects the battery performance, so accurate estimation of SOC cannot only protect battery, prevent overcharge or discharge, and improve the battery life, but also let the application make rationally control strategies to achieve the purpose of saving energy. This paper gives a literature survey on the categories and mathematical methods of SOC estimation. Based on the assessment of SOC estimation methods, the future development direction of SOC estimation is proposed.